Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova avoids Fresno State defensive back L.J. Jones in the second quarter of last week's season opener. / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

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Game day

When: Noon Where: High Point Solutions Stadium TV/Radio: CBSSN/710 AM

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PISCATAWAY — As Kyle Flood stood at the podium Tuesday and talked about the “great challenge” of facing “the No. 1 passing defense in the country last year” and a “top 10 defense nationally over the last four years,” the Rutgers football coach sounded like he was describing Florida State instead of Norfolk State.

Of course, that was Flood’s intention with his team all week as he prepared Rutgers, which will play host to Norfolk State at noon today in the home opener at High Point Solutions Stadium, to avoid joining the ranks of the seven Football Bowl Subdivision programs (formerly Division I) who lost to Football Championship Subdivision (I-AA) opponents being paid to play the game during the opening weekend of the season.

“As somebody who coached at that level for eight years, it doesn't surprise me,” Flood said of the upsets. “We won’t necessarily reference it because we are going to be focused on who we are playing, but I don’t think it’s foreign to the players. I think they see it. You turn the TVs on and it gets referenced. And when it’s two teams in your own league, for sure, they are going to be highly aware of it.”

Connecticut’s loss to Towson and South Florida’s 32-point loss to McNeese State served as the local reminders and then-No. 25 Oregon State’s loss to Eastern Washington drilled home the idea that even teams with big-time bowl aspirations, like Rutgers, are susceptible.

“It doesn’t matter how much talent you have,” sophomore defensive tackle Darius Hamilton said. “If a team comes out to play hard with all 11 guys on the field you’re going to have a problem on your hands. You can’t sleep on anybody. It’s college football – the last level where kids play this game because they love the game. We put it on the line because we love each other and this program, so anything can happen.”

Rutgers has won nine straight against FCS opponents since losing to New Hampshire in 2004 and is 9-0 all-time against the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, with seven of those wins coming since 2005 by a combined score of 303-14.

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Norfolk State (0-1) was outscored 90-0 in trips to Piscataway in 2007 and 2010, but has created a culture of FCS-best defense that led to the team’s 2011 MEAC title and playoff berth.

Florida State had the top-ranked pass defense in the FBS last season.

“Knowing friends at (FCS schools), there is talent everywhere,” redshirt senior defensive end Jamil Merrell said. “It’s just the mind-set, the passion and the attitude that carries a team. It doesn’t matter who you play. You’ve got to come with that intensity every game because you never know when that time is coming. You never know what big play they’re going to make or we’re going to make.”

Norfolk State has a few pedigreed playmakers, with transfers from the Big Ten (Minnesota) and the SEC (Florida) at linebacker, the ACC (Boston College) at halfback and the MAC (Bowling Green) at receiver and quarterback. Still, the MEAC’s last win against a FBS team was Delaware State over Akron in 1987.

“We should be practicing hard and wanting to get better,” quarterback Gary Nova said. “When you watch the film you see that Norfolk State has a good defense. They have guys that fly around. They have some transfers from (FBS) schools. They’re not a team that we’re going to expect to push over.”

The desire to improve should be the key to the equation. Rutgers, with six first-year starters on defense, allowed 50-plus points for just the second time since 2006 in its season-opening loss to Fresno State.

“Especially with the way we played, you can’t look at any game as a game off,” linebacker Kevin Snyder said. “Where we’re at right now, there is a lot of room for improvement. Each week you have to make that next step, and this is a big week because we need to get back to our norm of playing great defense.”

The game also marks the first at home for Rutgers since it squandered an 11-point second-half lead in a regular-season-ending loss to Louisville with a BCS berth on the line. The long-awaited return plays right into Snyder’s theory of why Rutgers has had so much success against the FCS.

“A lot of times it’s the first home game and it’s exciting to be out there,” he said. “I think that will be the same thing this time with the excitement to finally be on your home field with your home fans and just getting after it. You don’t want to worry about giving up big plays. You want to let it fly. If you do that, you’ll make plays and you’ll be able to hold people.”